Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Birthday Plans
Six o’clock in the evening.
Thea Lynch and Ian Preston arrived at the place.
They usually only come to Donovan Ryan’s place for private gatherings.
"Third Brother."
Donovan Ryan was already waiting for them.
Seeing Thea Lynch behind Ian Preston, he waved his hand, "Thea!"
Thea Lynch nodded slightly and sat opposite him. Donovan Ryan poured them two cups of tea, "Silas Cheney isn’t here yet."
To host them, Donovan Ryan didn’t open to the public today, specifically making room for them.
Thea Lynch took a sip of hot tea and slowly replied, "He seems to be delayed; there are some issues with the old man."
Ian Preston took a call and left.
Once he was gone, Donovan Ryan leaned over the bar, approached Thea, and asked quietly, "I heard that Silas’s grandfather hasn’t been doing well recently?"
"Yeah." Thea nodded, "It’s an old illness, recurring. I haven’t seen Silas in the past few days."
Silas is the only grandson around his grandfather, so naturally, he has to be busy tending to him whenever there’s something.
"No wonder. I called him out for drinks a few days ago, and he was too busy."
Donovan Ryan quickly switched topics, "Is Second Brother back on holiday or officially reassigned here?"
"He’s reassigned." Thea carefully calculated, "It’s been over five years since Second Brother was officially transferred away."
"Sure feels like it. I last saw Second Brother during my school days. How many years have passed since then?"
Thea felt the same, "Almost. I last saw Second Brother while I was studying too."
"Aren’t Second Brother’s parents coming back to Coronet?"
"No idea." Thea genuinely didn’t know; the Zimmerman Family’s parents worked in the south, and it’s likely they won’t transfer back to Coronet anytime soon. "If Second Brother’s job stabilizes here, the uncles should come to visit him. But they probably won’t stay long."
"That’s good. Bring the uncle and aunt here for dinner then, I’ll personally host." Donovan Ryan knows them well.
"Sure."
This is something Thea could decide on.
Just as they finished chatting, Ian Preston returned. Thea glanced at him, sensing he had something to say, "What’s up?"
"Second Brother has a last-minute meeting; he’ll be here later."
Thea checked the time, "Did he say around when he’ll be here?"
"In about an hour."
"That’s fine." She had enough time, just worried that Silas might need to go back urgently.
Speak of the devil, Silas Cheney and Sean Bell arrived together from the compound.
Only Second Brother was missing.
The group moved to a private room, and Donovan Ryan went to the kitchen to prepare fruit.
Once inside, Thea sat down near the door, and Sean Bell naturally sat next to her. They were the youngest, so typically stayed on the side.
It’s no surprise who sits at the main seat.
Silas originally planned to sit on the other side of Thea. But after hesitating, he sat on the other side.
Traditionally, it should be Ian Preston who sits at the main seat, even if Second Brother is here today.
But Ian Preston didn’t, he directly sat beside Thea.
Silas coughed a little, giving Sean a look intentionally or unintentionally. Sean took a glance around, not embarrassed at all, and directly got up and sat beside Silas.
Thea: "..."
Silas was equally speechless; Sean was now thinking along the lines of "it is what it is," showing no intention to hide.
Sean seemed completely unaware of any issue, sitting comfortably and leisurely sipping tea.
He didn’t mind at all, entirely disregarding others.
Actually, Thea also thought about switching seats, but moving again would mean sitting at the main seat.
After thinking it over, she decided not to move.
It’s just sitting together, what’s the big deal about it.
Lately, Ian Preston had been driving her to work daily; feeling awkward now would be too pretentious.
To liven up the atmosphere, it still depended on Silas.
He quickly found a topic, asking Thea, "Are you going back to the compound or heading to Westmere for New Year’s?"
"Not sure, depends on whether Uncle comes back or not. If Uncle doesn’t return, I’ll bring Grandma and Grandpa to Coronet for New Year’s."
"Uncle still doesn’t plan to come back, huh?"
Thea shook her head.
"Oh right, next week..." Silas coughed lightly, momentarily unsure how to ask. He signaled Sean.
Sean looked up at Thea, and after a glance, said for Silas, "He wants to ask how you plan to celebrate your birthday next week."
"..." Silas sighed, he shouldn’t have hoped for Sean.
Sean’s mouth was even worse than his.
Silas instinctively began to observe Thea’s subtle expressions, afraid of missing something.
But Thea didn’t seem as repelled by it as he imagined; hearing it, she just paused slightly, then hesitated before replying, "I don’t plan on celebrating my birthday."
She hadn’t celebrated her birthday in years while abroad.
"Come on, with Second Brother back, it’ll be lively with a crowd. You shouldn’t skip celebrating your birthday; it’s a special day."
Silas knew, when Thea was a child, she especially loved celebrating birthdays.
Since her birthday was in the second half of the year, whenever someone else had a birthday, she would join in the fun.
It’s hard to tell if all kids are like that or just Thea.
She loved blowing out candles, sometimes not even knowing who the birthday kid was.
Gradually, no matter whose birthday it was, the elders would buy two cakes, one to satisfy Thea.
But Thea still shook her head, not planning for it.
"Work’s been too busy lately, constantly working overtime. Next week will likely be the same."
"At least take a day off and have a meal together."
"We’ll see." Thea didn’t immediately agree.
She’s really resistant, and Silas is at a loss with her.
He discreetly glanced at Ian Preston across, trying to pull in a partner. But Ian Preston just indifferently looked at him without intending to speak.
Silas could only give up.
Seeing the two of them sitting together, Silas suddenly felt curious.
Lately, these two had practically moved in together. He’s been too busy to connect with them much, completely unaware of their current progress.
He feels they should be slightly closer now, but they still sat together without interacting, seemingly not very familiar.
Silas wanted to ask but decided to find a suitable chance to talk with Ian Preston alone later.
He turned and chatted with Ian Preston about recent suburban projects.
While they discussed work, Thea and Sean both lowered their heads, engrossed in their own things, completely uninterested in their topic.
Until the door of the private room was gently knocked.
Thea, sitting furthest out, was the first to react.
Ian Preston and Silas also paused their conversation.
A moment later, the door opened from the outside. The man who entered wore a neat work uniform, with the national emblem on his chest not yet removed.
[Author’s Note: Second Brother is a diplomat, and the parents are in politics.]
